Apple’s Reversible USB Cable Revealed

Apple is on its way with a reversible USB cable for its anticipated iPhone 6 and according to a video leaked by known Apple leaker Sonny Dickson, who has made a name for himself earlier by leaking out information details on the iPhone 5S much ahead of its arrival has now tweeted an image on the design improvement to the Lightning cable which will connect to the long rumoured iPhone 6.Popped up on one of Dickson’s tweets and through YouTube, the ten second video portrays what is believed an Apple Lightning to USB cable and its box.

The video then shows the unplugging of the USB cable from an Apple computer and is then plugged back but in the reverse direction. According to Dickson, the already reversible eight pin dock will not change and users could plug the cable into a USB port now in a reversible manner. The video shows a claim made by Dickson that Apple has a new type of Lightning cable with a reversible USB connection at the opposite end. If the information is true, then the new cable would be an improvement over the existing USB cables which had to be plugged into a computer or port in only one direction.

Apple’s Improvement on USB Cable

Dickson had sent other alleged evidence of the new cable to 9to5 Mac wherein the two photos portrayed the cable charging the iPhone through both ends while a video showed the USB cable being removed from an iPhone which is then reinserted in the opposite direction to charge the phone butApple declined to comment on this issue.

This new cable would be included with the iPhone 6 and it is expected to be launched at a media event on 9th September and the new iPhone would then be available in the market sometime later in the month.

The one sided plugging had its limitation which had always been an annoying aspect as users would often struggle to figure out which way to plug it in and users are aware that a USB cable’s configuration requires to be plugged into a computer or any other device in one way only, Apple’s improvement will features a USB end which can be inserted from both ends enabling users to plug in a cable without the need to check in which direction it needs to be inserted

Improved Charging Capabilities 

When Apple had earlier announced its Lightning connector in 2012, the company had touted not only its improved charging capabilities but its reversibility as well. Apple had stated that the reversibility would be making the life of the user much easier since they would not waste time to determine which end the eight pin dock could be placed into an iPhone or iPad and the earlier Apple 30 pin connector was not reversible.

There are several third party providers who offer reversible USB cables and a new USB standard known as Type C which is reversible is also on the way. If Apple decides to launch a reversible USB cable, it would not be the first one to do so.

Is There Actually A Need For An Airplane Mode And What Does It Really Do?

If you want to know the function of the Airplane mode, then it is used to disable the device’s Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular radio in short the functions related to the wireless transmissions. Now with the turning of time, there are several airplanes, which are offering airplanes in-flight Wi-Fi access together with cellular accessibility, and this brings us to the question, what will the function of airplane mode come to use as of now?

Well, it is not necessary for you to fly only to operate the Airplane mode. In fact, even if you have never flown, in your device itself, you will come across the Airplane mode, which acts as one of the quickest of ways to disable your device’s battery-draining radios. It has the ability to likewise, increase the life of your device’s battery, as you will not be using the present wireless radios that are there in your device.

Function of Airplane mode:
 
Whatever type of device you are use, be it a Smartphone, iPhone, an Android, Windows 8 tablet, an iPad or whatever it is, the function of the Airplane mode is the same everywhere and it ends up disabling the same hardware function in each of the above devices. 

i. Device will stop communicating with the cell towers:
 
If it is a cellular device, your device will suddenly stop communicating with the cell towers as soon as you bring it to an activation mode. You will be unable to receive or even send anything and this depends on the cellular data, right from sending messages to voice calls.

ii. Stop the scanning of Wi-Fi networks:
 
If it comes under the Wi-Fi category, your phone will eventually stop scanning any kind of Wi-Fi networks that is present close by, and will not attempt to join them. Even if you are linked to a Wi-Fi network, you will end up getting disconnected.

iii. Disable the Bluetooth:
 
This Airplane mode also ends up disabling the devices Bluetooth connection, which is a wireless communication technology that people generally utilize with the help of wireless headsets. But Bluetooth can be easily used for other things such as the mouse or keyboard and many more.
iv. Disable the GPS functions:
 
You will also end up being disabled with your GPS functions, mostly the receiving functions in many of the devices. This tends to be a bit consistent and confusing also.

Airplane Mode, smart way to save battery:

The moment you enable the Airplane Mode you will get to see an icon indicated by the airplane sign in the notification bar of the device. It will appear on the top bar section of your Android phone, iPads and iPhones as well. Nonetheless, you still can use your device when travelling on aircrafts even during the landing and takeoff time, as far as the airplane mode is enabled. There is just no need to power it off. Airplane mode is an excellent way to save battery, even when you’re on the ground.

However, why do we need this Airplane Mode?

Well there are rules and regulations in several countries, which prohibit the use of devices, which have the ability to transmit signals while traveling on commercial airplanes. Generally, a typical cellular-enabled tablet or a phone carries out its communication with a number of cell towers, thus trying to maintain a good connection at every time. However, communications like these have the tendency of disrupting with the sensors of the airplane. They might also end up causing potential issues with the sensitive navigation equipment, which can turn out to be a state of concern. This is why we need to enable the device into the Airplane mode most of the time while travelling by airplane.

Apple’s iPhone 6 Improved LTE Networking

Announced originally in 2012 and feature support for speed up to 150 MBPS with improved LTE networking, the Category 4 chip would be an improved version over the Qualcomm MDM9615 chip which is found in the iPhone 5s as well as iPhone 5. The iPhone 6 would incorporate Qualcomm’s MDM9625 LTE modem as showed according to a new photo of the device’s logic board shared by GeekBar which is more durable than its predecessor enabling lower temperatures under heavy performance due to its refined 28-nanometre production process.

 Together with these features, the MDM9625 is also inclusive of support for the next generation LTE Advanced network which are yet to reach out to the other ends of the world and information on the inclusion of the MDM9625 in the iPhone 6, showed a detailed but sketchy report from VentureBeat which was reported early this month, indicating that the iPhone 6 would comprise of a Category 6 LTE modem capable of a speed of 300 Mbps.

It was said that the radio would not support LTE Advanced networks as featured in the MDM9625. It was also posted by GeekBar that a supposed schematic from the iPhone 6, appeared to show support for NFC - near field communication in the device and the schematic also has a NAND flash chip, originally presumed by the website to be of 1 GB of DRAM in the device.

Battery Life for LTE Browsing – 10 Hours

The iPhone 5C is actually an iPhone 5 in plastic shell which is available in various colours while the 5s is the faster version of the iPhone 5 due to a new 64-bit chip which has the capabilities of the 64-bit iOS 7 and while the budget iPhone which was predicted failed to come true, the 5c is still priced at £469 phone SIM free and is not much appealing to developing markets.

Both these phones are capable of taking advantage of added LTE bands than any smartphone presently available which are available in five models of each to opt from, based on the region. Surprisingly, despite the extra bands which are now made available, Apple states that the battery life for LTE browsing is around 10 hours, up to two hours from the iPhone 6 which is an achievement due to the improved power efficiency of the LTE modem chip, likely but not confirmed to be a Qualcomm MDM9625 as well as the larger battery due to the internal redesign.

Faster LTE Experience 

This will enable to support a faster theoretical LTE speed of 150 Mbps down and 50 Mbps up but only a few operators would be deploying the bandwidth in delivering this faster LTE experience around the world. 

Apple is likely to launch the iPhone 6 at an event on September 9 this year and the launch of the 4.7 inch version will possibly follow thereafter, as production related issues may hold back the release of the 5.5 inch version till later this year or probably early next year. Moreover, besides the larger display, the iPhone 6 would also feature a thinner chassis, an improved camera with stabilization, a faster A8 chip and much more.

Apple’s Upcoming iPhone 6 with Sapphire Screens

It was reported by The Wall Street Journal recently, that the first sapphire screens for the upcoming iPhone 6 and the iWatch are likely to be expected this month from a Mesa, Arizona factory which is jointly operated by Merrimack, New Hampshire based material produce, GT Advanced Technologies Inc. – NASDAQ-GTAT, and Apple. It was said that the plantwould be manufacturing double sapphire than the current synthetic sapphire producers all over the world.

It was also suggested by thesources that the sapphire screens would appear in variants of 4.7 as well as 5.5 inch versions of the iPhone 6, though the sapphire covered models would be a bit expensive as well as rare. If the sources are right, then it would be a good change for Apple who has been offering good variety in terms of colour as well as internal capacity on earlier iPhone though they have not charged premium for updated materials in the same model. Sapphire which is a material known for scratch and crack resistant properties, is the hardest material and while its properties are an appropriate choice to increase the durability, high cost for manufacturing have made it unsuitable for a large scale mass production applications, enabling sapphire for only selected items like covers for luxury watches.

Speculation on Sapphire Screen with regards to Cost

Apple has been currently using sapphire for iPhone camera lens as well as its touch ID fingerprint reader. It is estimated that the sapphire iPhone screen would cost $16 to produce when compared with the cost of around $3 for the Corning Gorilla Glass, which is the company that currently utilises its entire iPhone line-up though detractors are of the opinion that the sapphire in large quantities would be prone to shatter as well as make the displays much harder to view in sunlight. Apple though presently has been using sapphire in limited portion that protects the Touch ID fingerprint sensor beneath the iPhone 5s home button, prevents scratch on top of the camera lens in its iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. But with regards to cost, in the production of larger quantities, like for a full iPhone display, it has brought about some speculation that a sapphire screen may not come up in this year’s iPhone line-up.

Complete Redesign from iPhone 5s

With rumours floating that Apple has plans to introduce the two new iPhone models this year – 4.7 inches as well as 5.5 inches, both are expected to be a complete redesign from the present iPhone 5s. With many speculating about sapphire in the next iPhone, Apple has managed to strike a deal of $578 million with furnace maker GT Advanced Technologies which enables the companies to finance as well as operate jointly a Phoenix facility which will produce sapphire crystal material. Many of Apple fans looking forward for a sapphire front panel should consider that the company arrangement with Liquid metal that had existed since 2010 has yet to appear in any of the company’s product in a more significant manner. The only known utility of Liquid metal till date was in SIM ejector tool which was shipped with the iPhone 3GS.

Apple comes forth with innovative Force Sensor Mouse!

With an Apple patent filing that was uncovered on last Thursday, it displays the latest and new kind of advanced mouse, which employs sensors that can measure the location plus the level of force that is being applied on its main button. It also indicated the pressure that is exerted on its haptis system to provide one with feedback.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published Apple’s novel application regarding the ‘Force Sensing Mouse’. This mouse does not only provide you with an estimate on how hard the user has applied pressure on it but also through the system of haptic vibrations sends forth a confirmation feedback.

This operation is principally built on the system of strain gauge, which is fixed to the beam or the cantilever arm. The design is quite similar to the usual Apple mouse designs, and comes with one large single top section, which tends to act as a button. The accessory can very easily transfer force through this arm section moving straight in to the sensor mode.

For example, if a particular user presses down hard on the mouse, the cantilever arm may bend a little twist or even flex. This way it ends up distorting the strain gauge, which in turn outputs a certain level of voltage that is translated into a kind of input signal. By processing through the voltage output, the mouse can gauge the kind of force that is applied by the user thus creating accordingly, control signal.
The effective haptic feedback is an electromagnet, which is disposed in the body of the mouse in such a way that it out rightly hits the top portion the moment it is activated. On the other hand, the well-rooted embedded vibration motors is placed in several positions around the mouse, so that it can come about with the apt and accurate level of feedback.

Practically, a user tends to move a UI cursor on top of a particular icon and then exerts pressure on first force, to select the related asset. This way it will immediately trigger the feedback forcefully. If the level of pressure is a bit harder, it tends to induce pressure on the execution of command, for instance, when you open a folder or any kind of app, you will notice that the mouse tends to respond with a more intensive vibration. In this way the user gets to navigate, select and then activate different kinds of graphical assets by the system of one button press, hence getting hold of feedback all through the way.

Apple has also kept a note about its pivot-style orientation design, which might tend to bring in a bit of distortion while reading, because the force transferred through the cantilever beam is relatively, where more force gets transferred when it is nearer to the mechanical elements of the mouse. Thus to mend this issue and to pinpoint finger location, this particular discovery proposes to deploy a touch sensor, just as the one that is available in Apple's Magic Mouse.